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Magnum York hosted a virtual zoom webinar with our very own Alex Casuga, Associate Broker and Director of our Calgary branch on the importance of taking meeting minutes, as they are the foundation of good Condo board governance. It is the duty of the Board of Directors to act in the best interest of all owners and be transparent in the actions taken and the decisions made on behalf of the Corporation.
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Download the Magnum York “Condominium Board Meeting Minutes: A Complete Guide” Here.
By volunteering, Board members accept the responsibility of stewarding a multi-million dollar Corporation, and more so, the asset where people live.
Owners have entrusted the Board to protect their homes and investments. This is why it is important for Boards to hold Board meetings and take good quality minutes.
How should the Board of Directors prepare for Board Meetings?
Before the Board of Directors attend a meeting, it is very important for every member to be organized and prepared. This means that the agenda should be reviewed beforehand, as well as the previous minutes and any reports. The reports can include the property manager’s report, any committee reports, or any reports that an individual Board member may be presenting at the meeting.
What do common terms found in Meeting Minutes mean?
There are common terms that are referenced and used in meeting minutes. All Board members should be familiar with these terms:
- Chair – At every meeting someone has to be elected as the “chair” of the meeting. This person conducts the business of the meeting and ensures that everyone is moving forward with the agenda. In most cases, this would be the Board President. In cases where the president is unable to attend, another member would have to be elected.
- Call To Order – This is defined as the start to the meeting agenda and is usually called for by the Chairperson, by declaring that: “The meeting will now come to order”. The time needs to be recorded in the minutes.
- Quorum – In your Condominium Bylaws, there will be a definition of the minimum number of members that have to be present in order for the meeting to proceed.
- Absences – If a member is unable to attend, but providided notice ahead of time, their names should be recorded as an “excused absence”.
Many bylaws state that “unexcused” absences are grounds for removal of Board Members. It is important that if meetings conflict with any Board member, that they provide notice ahead of time that they are unable to attend. This is when they will be noted as an “excused absence”.
- Agenda – This should be sent to all Board members ahead of the meeting and should be approved at the beginning of the meeting. An agenda sets out the order of business and should be followed to allow for an efficient and organized meeting. If there are any corrections, additions or deletions to the agenda, this should be amended before the approval.
- Motion – This is where someone brings forward an item that they would like adopted by the Board on behalf of the Corproation. The Board member who brings forward this motion should be identified as the “mover” in the minutes. In order for the motion to be approved, it would need someone to “second the motion”. If there is no seconder to the motion than the conversation will stop as the motion was not successful and the Board can then move to the next agenda item.
- Passed Motion: The motion was approved and the Board moves forward with the action items from the motion.
- Defeated: The majority of the Board did not approve the motion and you do not move forward.
- Tabled: You will put it forward to a future agenda.
Discussions do not need to be recorded in the minutes. You will need to record what action items resulted from the motion, who is responsible for the action item and what the next steps would be after the motion is approved.
- Adjournment – The meeting is not completed until there is an adjournement. A motion to adjourn is a formal procedure that ends a meeting. If there is any unfinished business at the time of adjournment, it is typically carried over to the next meeting. At this time, the date of the next meeting can be set.
What are Meeting Minutes?
It is a legal requirement to take minutes at every official meeting. If a quorum is met, condo Board meeting minutes are an official record of the actions taken by the board members at the meeting. Minutes should be buried, objective, and reflect the actions at a meeting. They should not be a complete transcript of what was said and the opinions that were expressed.
By reviewing meeting minutes regularly, the Board, the Corporation and any owners can keep themselves on track of the business of the Corproation.
Why are Meeting Minutes important?
Meeting minutes are an essential Condominium Corporation document and are a lawful record of what happened during a Board meeting. Since these documents are a legal requirement, they must be produced upon request. Owners, mortgagees, real estate agents can request meeting minutes and they must be produced. They also serve as proof to all future directors, property managers, owners, and third parties of what occurred at the meeting.
What should be recorded in Meeting Minutes?
You must record the date, time, location, and who was present at the meeting. Minutes are a snapshot of a specific period in time. You must also record important decisions such as expenditures (particularly if they are outside of the budget and are reserve in nature) and governance issues as motions and action items.
Meeting minutes not only help keep the community on track, prevent misunderstandings, and guide future leaders, but they can also be used to protect the association in a court of law.
What does not need to be recorded in Meeting Minutes?
Exclude unrelated conversations, irrelevant commentary, or details from a discussion that don’t lead to a conclusion or decision. Minutes should be succinct of what happened during a meeting and therefore should be objective and concise.
Who Is Responsible for the Meeting Minutes?
It is an essential duty of the Board to ensure the minutes are accurate. Typically the Secretary of the Board is responsible to take the minutes and distribute them in a timely manner, but it should ultimately be a shared responsibility of the Board.
Approving & Storing Minutes
Due to their legal bearing, approving minutes is one of the most vital tasks for the Board. Minutes must be approved before they are distributed. Homeowners, Board members, and external parties can typically browse through both current and archived copies of meeting minutes. It is important that the Board have access to copies of the minutes, in the case that property management changes.
Unapproved minutes must be clearly be marked as “draft”. Until the Board meets to approve the minutes and ensure they reflect the true decisions, they are not legally binding and are not releasable for distribution.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who has attended and to the Magnum York team for hosting this educational webinar. Inside the Condominium Board Meeting Minutes: A Complete Guide, you will find a template that can be used for your future Board meetings.
We love providing education and industry knowledge for our clients. We encourage you to keep an eye on our Webinar Registration page so you don’t miss out on future webinars: https://magnumyork.com/webinar/
Further Resources:
- Condominium Board Meeting Minutes: A Complete Guide: https://introducing.magnumyork.com/board-minute-guide
- Roberts Rules of Order
- What Are The Roles And Responsibilities of Condo Boards and Property Managers in Alberta?
- Webinar Recap: Alberta Condo Law 101 For Condo Boards With Roberto Noce
- How Do We Run An Effective Condo Board Meeting?
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